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holy crap! Paul McCartney joined Ringo Starr on stage last night to sing “Birthday” to celebrate Ringo’s 70th birthday!!

Ringo and his All-Starr band had a gig at Radio City Music Hall in NYC and played their usual set. But it wasn’t just another ordinary day, it was Ringo’s 70th b-day. So to commemorate the occasion, a whole slew of famous friends attended the show. Most came on stage to singalong to “With a Little Help from My Friends” including Yoko Ono, Jeff Lynne, Joe Walsh and Max Weinberg. But the biggest thrill of the night came afterwards when Sir Paul put on his signature Hofner bass and counted out the start of “Birthday”. Definitely an amazing moment. Thankfully it was captured on video for all to enjoy. kudos to the original uploader for sharing the video clip!
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Did you guys catch the premiere of Louis C.K.‘s new show “Louie” on FX this week? They’ve been promoting the hell out of the show for months so it’s great to see that it lived up to the hype. As a matter of fact, “Louie” is probably my favorite new TV show right now. I’m not that pleased with the 11pm time slot but with the R-rated language, I guess that’s what they had to do to be on basic cable.

The show is a bit like Seinfeld with stand-up bits weaved-in with the storylines but there are unexpected left turns (i.e. the opening poker scene and the part when Louie’s date got into a helicopter for a quick getaway. heh) that definitely brings the tried and true framework to another level.

“Louie” is a must-see in my book. check it out – Tuesdays on FX at 11pm.

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This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of faceVsion Technology USA. All opinions are 100% mine.

I remember the primitive days of streaming webcams where the jerky video images were thumbnail-sized and in black & white. Back in the day, a lot of time was spent being frustrated with buggy software as well as having to deal with the oh-so-dreaded blue screen of death. Boy, we’ve come a long way since those days. Webcams can now be found on most laptops and most folks are pretty familiar with the video conferencing feature on Skype. With the combination of faster computers and broadband connections, video calling is pretty much a no-brainer nowadays.

And now the hard working team over at faceVsion are introducing the next step in webcam technology – Hi-Definition video webcams. Why settle for fuzzy video images when you can achieve crystal clear 720p resolution video with the new FV touchcam N1. The TouchCam N1 is the world’s first Skype-certified webcam that can deliver full screen HD video over the web. The key to the hi-def video is the embedded H.264 encoder which converts the HD images into substantially lower bitrates. The touchcam also features a high quality wide angle lens which helps keep the images sharp, in-focus and with truly realistic color depths. The super clear video images will make a huge impact on your next family video skype call. The professional quality video is also ideal for business video conferences. When you need to make a good impression with a client and you can’t be there in person, having a HD quality conference call is the next best thing. It’s definitely worth the upgrade.

You can find out more about the new FV touchcam N1 at the faceVision on line store. The site also features the FV ExpressCombo that includes an express card that provides 720p 30fps video images regardless of CPU power. If you’re ready to step up to HD video calls, the new FV touchcam may be right up your alley. FV touchcam is now available through shop.facevsion.com and other value added partners.

In case you haven’t heard, the new Rolling Stones’ documentary titled Stones in Exile arrived in stores last week. And thanks to the kind folks over at Universal Music, one lucky retroblog reader will receive a brand new copy of the Stones in Exile DVD.

Interested? well, here’s how to enter the drawing:

Just simply post a comment below with your personal top five favorite Rolling Stones songs. Also be sure to leave a legitimate email address so that I can contact you in the event that you are selected. Don’t worry, your name/email address will not be sold or used in any other manner.

You can also earn an extra entry by posting the following on twitter: @retroblog is giving away a new Rolling Stones DVD – Stones In Exile enter to win http://bit.ly/ceoojO #giveaway

Be sure to post a followup comment here about your tweet in order to receive your bonus entry in the drawing.

This contest/giveway ends at 11:59pm July 11th, 2010. A winner will be picked randomly from all entries and will be contacted by me via email by July 13th. Once the winner provides a mailing address, it will be forwarded to Universal Music who will be sending out the prize.

No purchase necessary and the contest/giveaway is only open to U.S. residents age 18 or older. By participating in this RetroBlog contest, you agree to allow RetroBlog to post the winner’s name and city on this site.
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In honor of the start of another summer season, I thought I’d post a set of songs linked to this lovely (but HOT) time of the year. Can’t believe it’s already summer. Gotta hurry and plan out some fun excursions with the little ones before they go back to school. Summer’ll be over before ya know it!

enjoy!

Some Like to Hot – The Power Station
Some like it hot and some sweat when the heat is on
Some feel the heat and decide that they can’t go on
Some like it hot but you can’t tell how hot ’til you try
Some like it hot so let’s turn up the heat ’til we fry

Waiting on a Sunny Day – Bruce Springsteen
Funny, thought I felt a sweet summer breeze
Must of been you sighin’ so deep
Don’t worry we’re gonna find a way
I’m waitin’, waitin’ on a sunny day
Gonna chase the clouds away, waitin’ on a sunny day

Summer of Love – The B-52′s
It’s the summer of love, love, love
I’m in love with love, love, love
For everyone transcends here, I’m thinking of you boy
Love energy is giving us a shove, making this the summer of love

Summer Dress – Shawn Colvin
I put on my finest summer dress
So light and thin, torn at the chest
I brushed my hair, I held my breath
I went out to face the wilderness,
I went out to face the wilderness…

Too Hot to Sleep – Survivor
Too hot to sleep Come take me higher
caught up in the heat of the moments fire

My Paradise (live version 2003) – The Outfield
Everbody’s got one thing on their mind
A set of wheels and a cranked up radio
In this town there might be nowhere to hide
In this town there might be nowhere to go but
On my left, to my right, this is my paradise
You can call it what you like
I know, this is my paradise

Summer (Can’t Last too Long) – Demo version by Wetton/Downes
Spring, winter or fall but out of them all
The summer can’t last too long

Summer Skin – Death Cab for Cutie
The water’s warm and children swim
And we frolicked about in our summer skin

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This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of USC. All opinions are 100% mine.

With our economy still struggling to recover, countless hardworking individuals across our country are finding themselves without a job. Many have had to reassess their own lives and consider a significant career change. I personally know a good number of former colleagues that took advantage of their downtime to go back to school to work toward an additional degree. And with the advancement of technology and the internet, most of the coursework can now be done conveniently online. And these aren’t just small, lesser known schools offering these types of services. Major universities are now offering online programs including the University of Southern California.

USC is currently offering folks a way to earn a Masters degree in teaching via online from their world renowned Rossier School of Education. This is a school that’s been ranked #22 in the U.S. and #9 among private universities by U.S. News and World Report. They’ve fully embraced this type of interactive online learning experience and consider this a very important part of the university. As a matter of fact, all those that are participating in the online program are given full student status with all the benefits normally offered to their on-site students. And when it’s time to receive the Masters of Arts in Teaching degree, you get to participate in the commencement ceremonies on campus as well as receive a free lifetime Alumni Association membership. They’re actually expecting the first cohort of MAT@USC to graduate in May.

other benefits of the online masters program include:
• Highly interactive online learning combined with field-based experiences
• Groundbreaking tuition reimbursement program
• Accelerated program you can complete in as little as 12 months
• Opportunity to become a part of the elite USC Trojan Family
• MAT@USC Student Blog, hear insights about the program from actual students
• Rossier and the MAT@USC were awarded by AACTE for innovative use of technology in education
• Technology video that introduces the interactivity of the program

For more program information, please head on over to the MAT@USC website.

Just a friendly reminder to all you Doors/Jim Morrison fans out there. The DVD and Blue-Ray editions of When You’re Strange: A Film About the Doors will be released here in the U.S. on June 29th. I like the fact that director Tom DiCillo decided against including the typical talking-head interviews with the remaining Doors members. Instead, the film focuses primarily on vintage footage from the late 60′s and early 70′s with running commentary/narration by none other than Johnny Depp.

Watch the video trailer via youtube.

here’s the official press release:
Eagle Rock Entertainment, the UK based independent, has licensed the North American DVD and Blu-Ray rights to “When You’re Stange: A Film About The Doors” from Rhino Entertainment. The documentary uncovers historic and previously unseen footage of the illustrious rock band and provides new insight into the revolutionary impact of its music and legacy.

Mike Carden, President of North America Operations, said, “We are very excited about marketing this film and will work hard with our sales and distribution partners to promote the DVD as well as work closely with Rhino to cross-promote the soundtrack album.”
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I’ve been listening to Audio Fidelity’s remastered Asia CD for the past week and I can enthusiastically confirm to all the Asia fans out there that it’s definitely the best sounding version of Asia’s 1982 debut album available. Most fans probably own the Asia Gold 2-disc anthology released by Geffen/Universal since it compiled the first three Asia albums plus all the b-sides into one package. Convenient, yes but the sound left a lot to be desired. Geffen/Universal felt it necessary to remaster the disc to compete with other modern day CDs. in other words, the audio ended up compressed, limited, re-EQ’ed and ultimately, not that pleasant to listen to.

Thankfully the audiophile record label, Audio Fidelity chose to issue their own version of this landmark pop-prog album. I’m not totally sure how they ended up choosing Asia since they’re not a band high on an audiophile’s list but I ain’t complaining.

Mastering engineer Kevin Gray made sure to produce a more faithful representation of the original master tapes with the dynamic range restored. The general public need to finally realize that “louder” isn’t always “better”. And yes, this CD is most definitely not as “loud” as the Geffen/Universal Gold edition. The sound is much more natural and clearer than before. Just listen to the smooth decay of the cymbal crashes as one reference point. Also the mid to high frequencies aren’t as harsh sounding as before. The recording is now easier on the ears and less prone to ear fatigue which tends to happen now with modern masterings.

The only thing missing in my opinion are the B-sides/bonus tracks. But from what I understand Audio Fidelity only focuses on creating the best sounding version of the original album and never adds bonus tracks on their releases.

Now if only we can get a better sounding Alpha album. but from what I understand, a better mastering job can only do so much. With such a dense sounding mix, I believe Alpha requires a full remix to get things cleared up!

retroGrade : A

Asia (self-titled)
label: Audio Fidelity
reissued: June 2010
features: John Wetton, Geoff Downes, Carl Palmer, Steve Howe
Produced by: Mike Stone
remastered by: Kevin Gray

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This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Nexx Online. All opinions are 100% mine.

It’s interesting to think back to when I first attempted to create an online presence. This was way before the days of social networking and such. It wasn’t as easy as it is now to get cheap prices on domains and web hosting. Gosh, I’m beginning to sound like one of those grumpy old men saying phrases like “I remember back in the day…” but it’s true. Creating your own website is now as easy as a click of a button. There’s no longer the need to spend endless nights editing your own HTML code for a website. With blogging software like wordpress and pre-made templates, you’re pretty much set. Of course there’s the need for content but that’s another matter altogether.

And now with the tight competition among web hosting companies, it’s pretty much a win-win situation for us bloggers. Check out the latest deal from Nexx Online. They’re currently offering a full year of Unlimited Web Hosting for only $10. And not only that but your 10 bucks include a free web domain. Now that’s what I call a deal.

Here’s a quick breakdown of what’s included:
- unlimited web space
- unlimited bandwidth
- unlimited email accounts
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- one free domain
- $50 credit for google adwords
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All you have to do when you sign up for a new Nexx account is use the coupon code: SPARK10 to take advantage of the offer. but don’t wait too long, the $10 offer is scheduled to expire at the end of the month.

With all the Go-Go’s fans bummed out after the girls canceled their farewell tour, I thought I’d take this moment to share some rare live tracks by the band.

Hopefully Jane Wiedlin will be able to recover from her injuries in a timely manner so that the band can get back on stage for one last hurrah.

just in case you haven’t seen it yet, here’s what Jane wrote to her fans on her mailing list about the situation:

Dear pen-pals,
It is with heavy heart I tell you that the Go-Go’s tour has been canceled. You may have already read about this online, or in a real newspaper (do those still exist?). Still, I wanted to personally tell you guys that it is always my intention to entertain and to please, and never to disappoint.

Thank you for all your well wishes. They are most appreciated!
OK, that’s all for now.
Lots of love to you all,
Jane
————–

Anyway, enjoy the tunes…
—

Daisy Chain (live from Irvine, 2001)
Who knew we were going down
So careless with what we’d found
Making and breaking our Daisy Chain
Flowers bloom they fade too soon
What happened to our daisy chain

Turn To You (Live in LA 1984)
There may be some explanation
Why you feel the way you do
The world makes its rotations
But I just want to turn to you

Head Over Heels (Live in LA 1984)
Been running so hard
When what I need is to unwind
The voice of reason
Is one I left so far behind

Cool Jerk (nips and tucks version, live at the viper room 1999)
Can you do can you do can you do can you do
The cool jerk

Unforgiven (live Richardson, TX 2001)
Confessing every sin doesn’t make me a saint
Even though it’s obvious I’ve changed
Once I forgave you but I did not forget
Now I’m taking back everything I said

We Got the Beat (live in LA 1984)
Go-go music really makes us dance
Do the pony puts us in a trance
Do the watusi just give us a chance
That’s when we fall in line
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